McKinley Stump

The Lewis County Historical Society and Museum, also known as the Burlington Northern Depot, is located in Chehalis, Washington. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1974. The site is located within the Chehalis Downtown Historic District and borders the Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District, both NRHP-listed locations. Chehalis, then known as Saundersville, attempted to create a train stop and station during the 1870s after the build of a Northern Pacific Railway line through the developing town in 1872. After community-wide petitions and actions, which included flagging down passing trains to stop, the town received an official train stop in 1874. The first station, known as the Northern Pacific Depot, was constructed in 1890 near the downtown core. The station was used as a stopping point by President Benjamin Harrison the following year and Theodore Roosevelt in 1903, who spoke from the McKinley Stump. Though the station remained in operation and brought economic prosperity to the booming community, by the turn of the 20th century the depot was criticized for its appearance, lack of safety, space, and utility. Northern Pacific constructed the Chehalis historic depot in 1912, located north of the old station. The brick depot is considered Mission Revival architecture and spans nearly a block, situated closely to the railroad tracks. The station is noted for its sectioned façade and gables. The structure once contained a passenger room, telegraph office, and a baggage and freight area. The waiting area was noted for its enameled brick detail and cove ceiling. A portion of the previous station was moved to the new site for use as a freight office. A dedication of the $30,000 train station was held in January 1913. Most commonly known as the Burlington Northern Depot and in the present-day as the Lewis County Historical Museum, the location went by a variety of names over its lifetime as an operational train station. The Northern Pacific Depot was utilized as one of the first transport hubs in the United States to relocate Japanese-Americans during World War II. In February 1973, Burlington Northern closed the depot, transferring operations and employees to the Centralia Union Depot. The railroad company initially ordered the historic Chehalis station to be demolished, but after two years of community and political protests hoping to use the depot as a museum, the site was leased to Lewis County in late-1975 for $1 per year. The building was renovated by the Lewis County Historical Society and several volunteers, officially opening as a county historical museum in September 1979. The depot was renamed as a museum under the oversight of the Lewis County Historical Society, which incorporated in 1965. The Lewis County Historical Museum has remained in operation since the 1970s despite funding difficulties and an embezzlement of the society's endowment fund in the late 2000s. The 4,600-square-foot (430 m2) space hosts permanent displays, most notably exhibits on pioneer life and indigenous culture and people, as well as special presentations tied to the county's past. Over 50,000 artifacts, which include audio recordings, interactive items, newspapers, photographs, and physical objects of historical importance, are stored within the museum or under its management. The original passenger waiting room houses the main exhibit space and the museum is known for a large-scale, working model train display of Lewis County. The site is a standard location for celebrations, events, and festivals pertaining to Chehalis and Lewis County.

The Vintage Motorcycle Museum is an appointment only museum in Chehalis, Washington. The collection, founded in 1979 by retired building contractor Frank Mason, includes pre-1916 motorcycles, photographs and memorabilia. Mason and his wife Barbara bought and renovated the historic 1889 Washington Hotel building in Chehalis after it burned in 1997, and moved the collection there.The museum moved its collection in 2021 to the Marketplace Square building, half a block south from the hotel.

The Chehalis Theater, also as the Chehalis Theatre, is a single-screen, Art Deco movie theater in Chehalis, Washington. The theater is situated at the north end of the Chehalis Historic Downtown District near the Hotel Washington. Known locally for the hand-painted illustrations of popular children's fantasy characters that once populated the ceiling, it is the only surviving movie house in the city. Since the theater's last renovation that began in 2021, it has been renamed McFiler's Chehalis Theater.

The Chehalis Downtown Historic District is located in Chehalis, Washington and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of three NRHP districts in the city, including the Hillside Historic District and Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District, the district represents three separate development periods. The community was an important timber hub and freight exchange stop between south Puget Sound and Portland, Oregon. The historic district is home to the St. Helens Hotel and is located in the northeastern part of the city and includes North Market Boulevard, Northwest Pacific Avenue, Northeast Cascade Avenue, Northeast Boistfort, Front Way, and Northeast Division.

The O. K. Palmer House is the historic home of Osmer K. Palmer and is located in Chehalis, Washington. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1986 and is situated in the city's NRHP-listed Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District.

The St. Helens Hotel, also known as the St. Helens Inn, is located in Chehalis, Washington and has been registered on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) since 1991. The historic hotel is situated on the south end of the Chehalis Downtown Historic District, an NRHP-listed district. The first St. Helens Hotel was a wooden inn built in the late 19th century and owned by William West, a prominent Chehalis pioneer. Due to a growing, modern city and an increase in travelers through the region, the hotel was rebuilt of brick and expanded between 1917 and 1921. The West family continued full or partial ownership of the hotel since its inception until 1976, when the St. Helens underwent a full conversion as an apartment house. Named after Mt. St. Helens, the hotel was a center for civic activity in the city during its peak and hosted numerous events and guests during its run as a hotel. The St. Helens is the tallest building in Chehalis and is the core marker of the downtown district.

The Lewis County Courthouse is a neo-classical Beaux-Arts inspired courthouse located in Chehalis, Washington. The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 18, 2014. The Lewis County Courthouse is the last of possibly 7 or more courthouses that represented the county, including two prior judicial buildings in the city of Chehalis. The first official courthouse is debated between the home of Judge Sidney Ford in Ford's Prairie or the log cabin Jackson Courthouse under early pioneer John R. Jackson in present-day Mary's Corner. Judicial proceedings were known to have taken place on the homesteads of other prominent, early settlers in Lewis County. The first courthouse built on order of the county government was located in Claquato, temporarily becoming the county seat. The county seat moved to Chehalis in 1874 and the first courthouse in the city was constructed that same year. The structure served as a centralized judicial building until possibly 1901, when the county purchased a mixed-use hotel, entertainment, and commercial building built by the matriarch of Chehalis, Elizabeth Barrett Saunders. Known as the Barret Block Courthouse, it was often in disrepair, considered unsanitary, and experienced several prison escapes. The site was criticized consistently in the local press for its lack of facility and the building's eyesore nature. Moderate attempts to keep the building in working order were undertaken and it lasted as use as a courthouse until the Lewis County Courthouse was completed in June 1927. The Lewis County Courthouse held a dedication on June 17, 1927 after two years of construction. Attended by prominent government officials and a large crowd, the festivities included an evening ball. The courthouse was declared to last 100 years and, as the "people's courthouse", was always open to any and all Lewis County citizens. The courthouse, designed by Jacque "Jack" DeForest Griffin, was erected at a cost of over $418,000 on a corner lot at Main Street and Chehalis Avenue on grounds that contained a church and other buildings. The four-story structure is built mostly of concrete, with Tenino sandstone, carved inscriptions, and various motifs on the exterior. Bronze doors dominate the main entrance on North Street. The interior is dominated by a central staircase and the building contains original woodwork. Painting restoration efforts in the early 2000s reflected the initial wall colors of the 1920s. It once contained a jail on the attic floor from which several escapes were attempted, some successful. The courthouse floors include a basement and mezzanine and numerous original details still remain within the corridors of the building. The courthouse, despite being built with expansion in mind, began to suffer from overcrowding in the coming decades. The judicial building became a focal point of a larger government campus created to alleviate the crowding issue, beginning with the build of a 1950s annex known as the Lewis County Public Health Building. Continuing issues over a lack of functional space led to the construction of the Lewis County Law and Justice Center annex in the late 1970s, and the Lewis County Jail at the turn of the century. The Law and Justice Center once contained a skyway that connected to the courthouse, its purpose to ferry prisoners between the two buildings. The skywalk, the only such architectural feature in the county at the time, was removed for lack of use and deterioration in 2002. The Lewis County Courthouse has experienced over its lifetime several fires, acts of prisoner violence, vandalism, and is often a site for local protests. The building has also undergone numerous remodels, renovations, and restorations as needs for the county government has changed. Despite the necessary alterations over the years, restorations have allowed the courthouse to remain true to its original state. As of 2014, the courthouse's rebuild value was reported to be $140 million. The judicial building has been noted for its permanence of construction, historic character, ties to courthouse history in the county, and is considered to be an excellent example of pride within Lewis County and the city of Chehalis.

The Chehalis Post Office is a federal post office in Chehalis, Washington. The Georgian Revival building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) since 1991. The site has been declared a historic building by the Chehalis Historic Preservation Commission. The post office is the only federal building in the city and was completed and dedicated in 1934. The Chehalis MPO, as it is listed in the NRHP form, was the last post office constructed in Chehalis. The build ended a stretch of perhaps nine different postal locations in the community. The first office was established in 1858 at the homestead of Schuyler and Elizabeth Saunders, the founding family of what later became Chehalis. The brick building was constructed for $97,400 during the Great Depression by the Works Progress Administration. Two stories tall, the structure was one of the last federal Beaux-Arts-style buildings erected and an example of 1930s architecture used by the United States government. The exterior contains several features of note, including numerous semi-circular windows, dormers, a front pediment entrance, as well as various terra cotta designs and motifs. Materials, which included sandstone, were mostly procured in the Pacific Northwest. The interior was built with modern amenities of the time and many features, including flooring and millwork, remain in the present day. The first floor hosts the post office's public duties, and the building contains a basement, mezzanine, and a second floor used for office space. Outside of natural upgrades and maintenance, the Chehalis Post Office is considered to remain in a mostly unaltered state. Located in between two other NRHP-listed sites, the Chehalis Downtown Historic District and the Lewis County Courthouse, the post office serves as a central hub for local mail deliveries and rural routes expanding across Lewis County. The Chehalis Post Office reached first class status in 1937 and mail service has operated continuously in the city since September 1870.

Westside Park is located in Chehalis, Washington in the city's Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District which was catalogued on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1991.The 1-acre (0.40 ha) park contains basketball courts, a playground, and picnic areas. It is known locally for its blossoming cherry trees, first planted in 1932, and towering conifers.

The Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District is a neighborhood located in Chehalis, Washington and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) since 1991. The district is one of three NRHP neighborhoods in the city, including the Chehalis Downtown Historic District and the Hillside Historic District. The city of Chehalis recognizes a much broader and expansive historic district, known under such monikers as the Historic West Side or the Westside neighborhood, with the inclusion of several other homes and streets. The neighborhood began in the 1880s and was mostly built up by 1915. Early, prominent members of the Chehalis community platted, built, and resided in the historic district. Residences were constructed in a variety of architectural styles with American Foursquare, Craftsman, and Late-Victorian the most numerous or notable of homes. The area is known for its ornamental street lamps, first installed in 1929. The district was once home to the West Side School, which was destroyed in an earthquake in 1949, and is home to Westside Park. The O. K. Palmer House, an NRHP-listed home, is located within the Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District.

The Hillside Historic District is a neighborhood located on Park Hill in Chehalis, Washington and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) since 1996. It is one of three NRHP neighborhoods in the city, including the Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District and the Chehalis Downtown Historic District, which borders the Hillside District. Numerous homes have been awarded recognition by the Chehalis Historic Preservation Commission for their architectural and historical importance to the city. The hillside was originally part of a land claim under the Saunders family, the founders of what would later become the city of Chehalis. The area was used for timber and mining in the community's early days. The build of a residential neighborhood began in 1888 with the first homes erected by 1890. Progress was initially slow with a major expansion of home construction occurring during the mid-to-late 1900s, which also included several infrastructure improvements such as a reservoir and sewer system. Several pioneer and prominent Chehalis families resided in the Hillside District during the early 20th century, many of which either owned large tracts on the hill or helped to expand the neighborhood further. In the 1920s, another infrastructure and residential expansion progressed and by the 1930s, the district was considered mostly complete. The hillside underwent the addition of modern changes, such as the construction of apartment buildings, in the 1960s and 1970s. The Hillside District contains a variety of differing residential architectural styles, including American Foursquare and several types of American Craftsman and Craftsman Bungalows. Distinct styles in the neighborhood include Dutch Colonial, French Eclectic, Queen Anne, Tudor Revival, and Victorian. Several homes contain turrets, a rare architectural touch in the city. Most homes, due to the upslope of the hill, have views of Chehalis and the surrounding river valley. The district is home to John Dobson and McFadden Parks and the Troop 373 and 7373 Scout Lodge, an NRHP-listed site.

The city of Chehalis is located in Washington state and rests upon the Chehalis River. Due to the city's location in the Chehalis Valley along with the nearby confluences of the Newaukum River south of Chehalis and the Skookumchuck River in neighboring Centralia, the community has suffered from numerous floods. Some floods have occurred resulting from overflows of creeks and minor tributaries in the Chehalis river basin, and severe cresting of the Cowlitz River has occasionally led to flooding in the Chehalis area. The flood stage levels of the Chehalis, Newaukum, and Skookumchuck have fluctuated upwards historically, based on the height of dikes, levees, and floodplain surveys. Water inundation from heavy rains and excessive snowmelt has led to a considerable number of historic flooding events in the twin cities of Centralia and Chehalis. Accounts of floods are traced as far back as early Native American settlement and since the beginnings of the city of Chehalis. Most floods occur between November and February, with only one minor event, in April 1991, occurring after March. The 20th century recorded over two dozen notable flooding events in and around the Chehalis community.